Knowledge base Enforcement Updated 15 Oct 2026 24 min read

Driver Improvement Points System

Current DIPS suspension and probationary revocation thresholds, foreign-licence prohibition orders, and SPF-announced changes taking effect on 1 January 2027.

DIPS demerit probation suspension

Primary source: https://www.police.gov.sg/Knowledge-Hub/Traffic/Traffic-Matters/Driver-Improvement-Point-Systems

The Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS) is Singapore’s demerit-point regime for valid Singapore driving-licence holders. Traffic Police describe it as a system of rewards and punishments meant to identify and rehabilitate errant drivers (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems).

Depending on the severity of the traffic offence, the licence holder may accumulate anywhere from 3 to 12 demerit points and be offered a composition fine. SPF says a more severe offence may carry more than 12 points and/or prosecution in court, with heavier fines, imprisonment, or licence disqualification. This offence-level point description is separate from the threshold that makes a driver liable for a DIPS suspension: currently 24 points within 24 months for a first suspension and 12 points within 12 months after a suspension record (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems; Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, r. 4).

The thresholds below distinguish the current rules on SPF’s DIPS page (last updated 23 July 2026) from changes SPF announced on 31 July 2026 that take effect on 1 January 2027. The announced thresholds are not presented as current before that date (SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

Court penalties for dangerous and careless driving

DIPS points are separate from criminal penalties. Under the current Road Traffic Act, reckless or dangerous driving causing grievous hurt carries up to 5 years’ imprisonment for a first offence and 10 years for a repeat offence. Careless driving causing grievous hurt carries up to 2 years for a first offence and 4 years for a repeat offence. For both offences, the current maximum additional imprisonment term for a DUI serious offender is 1 year, rising to 2 years for a serious repeat offender (Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 64(7), 65(7)).

The enacted but not-yet-commenced Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026 raises the dangerous-driving-causing-grievous-hurt maximums to 7 years for a first offence and 13 years for a repeat offence. It also raises the maximum DUI add-on for either dangerous or careless driving causing grievous hurt from 1 year to 18 months, and the serious-repeat-offender add-on from 2 years to 3 years and 6 months. These are maximum imprisonment terms; MHA’s summary reports no change to the careless-driving-causing-grievous-hurt maximums. The Act's commencement date is to be appointed by Gazette notification, so the current limits remain operative until then. SPF’s penalties page already displays the future 13-year repeat-offence figure, while the current Act and MHA’s comparison distinguish it from the operative 10-year maximum; use the current Act until commencement (Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 64(7), 65(7); Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1, 5, 7–8, 21; MHA, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026; SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences).

Act 18 of 2026 also amends Road Traffic Act section 47C(1A) so that an investigation into the new purposeful-endangerment offence under section 63A may be a ground for the Deputy Commissioner of Police to suspend a driving licence during the investigation. This adds section 63A to the subsection existing list; the amendment is enacted but does not take effect until a date appointed by Gazette notification (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1 and 5).

Act 18 also adds a conviction for purposeful endangerment under section 63A to the offences for which a court may make a driving disqualification conditional on the person passing a prescribed test of competence to drive. This amendment to section 36(7) is enacted but awaits Act 18’s appointed commencement date (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1 and 2; Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 36).

The same Act also clarifies when a court-ordered driving disqualification period starts. Under its future amendments to Road Traffic Act sections 42 and 116, if the offender is sentenced to imprisonment at or before the same hearing, the disqualification starts on the later of the conviction date or the date the offender is released and no longer serving any imprisonment sentence; the imprisonment can be for an unrelated offence. Section 116(9) concerns the specified disqualification of at least 12 months for offences involving failure to stop and provide particulars or render assistance after an accident. The general rule is relevant beyond that offence: MHA says the change addresses disqualification periods being served concurrently with imprisonment. These provisions are enacted but do not take effect until a date appointed by Gazette notification (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1, 3, 23; MHA, Second Reading opening speech, paras. 40–42).

Act 18’s amendment to section 42B would also clarify the calculation of a disqualification period where a person is sentenced to imprisonment while already disqualified. Under the amended wording, imprisonment time does not count until the person has been released and is no longer serving any sentence of imprisonment; the provision covers sentences for other offences imposed before or at the same hearing. The change awaits Act 18’s appointed commencement date (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1 and 4; Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 42B).

Automated assessment of technical traffic offences — enacted change awaiting commencement

Act 18 of 2026 adds a process allowing a computer program under the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s oversight to assess recorded images or video for sufficient evidence that a vehicle committed a prescribed offence whose physical elements have no corresponding fault element, and to identify the vehicle. After a positive assessment, the program may cause a notice to be issued to the registered owner requiring the driver’s identity, address and licence details within 14 days. MHA describes the intended scope as objectively verifiable technical offences such as speeding and red-light violations; the enacted law leaves the exact offences to be prescribed. This process assesses evidence and issues a driver-particulars notice; it does not itself determine the driver’s guilt (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1 and 21, new RTA s. 81A; MHA, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026).

The recipient may apply within the prescribed time for the Deputy Commissioner of Police to revoke the notice if the vehicle was not at the alleged offence location or the alleged offence did not occur. The Deputy Commissioner or an authorised public officer must review the evidence and confirm or revoke the notice. MHA says the vehicle owner may seek revocation when the vehicle or offence was wrongly identified, and Traffic Police will manually review such appeals. A notice recipient can also check the current SPF e-services for driver-particulars submission and traffic-offence appeals; those existing service pages do not establish that Act 18’s new automated process is already in operation (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, s. 21, new RTA s. 81A(7)–(9); MHA, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026; SPF, E-Services; SPF, Submit Appeal Against Traffic Offence).

The Act separately creates offences for failing to provide required driver particulars, knowingly or recklessly giving materially false or misleading information, intentionally altering, suppressing or destroying required information to prevent identification, and falsely claiming to have driven. An owner who cannot identify the driver has a defence to the failure offence if the owner proves, on a balance of probabilities, that they did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained the required information. Where the owner is a company, partnership or unincorporated body, it must also show that it kept the required proper and accurate driver-allocation record and that the record identifies no person permitted to drive at or about the offence time. In addition, if the automated assessment concerns an offence listed in Part 1 of the Third Schedule, a licensed owner who is guilty of failing to provide particulars is presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to have been driving when the offence occurred. Knowingly false driver impersonation and the specified false-information offences carry a maximum fine of $10,000, imprisonment up to 12 months, or both. The ordinary failure-to-provide offences carry a maximum fine of $1,000 or imprisonment up to 3 months, with higher repeat-offender maximums of $2,000 or 6 months. Corporate, partnership and unincorporated-body vehicle owners must designate a responsible officer and keep a proper, accurate driver-allocation record containing the vehicle registration, driver identity and licence particulars, and the allocation date/time or period; retain each record for at least 12 months. These are enacted provisions and do not take effect until Act 18’s appointed Gazette commencement date (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, ss. 1 and 21, new RTA ss. 81A(3)–(5), 81B and 81C).

The Act’s commencement date remains to be appointed by Gazette notification. Until then, the current section 81 process and current notice procedures apply (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, s. 1; SSO, 2026 Subsidiary Legislation Supplement commencement search).

Demerit points and composition amounts by offence

SPF’s Basic Theory of Driving handbook, last updated 2 January 2026, lists the scheduled DIPS offences, demerit points, and composition amounts by light and heavy vehicle. The grouped table below follows that handbook; “—” means no points or no composition amount is listed. SPF’s live Penalties for Traffic Offences page was also checked against the table and its marked-offence note (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving handbook, pp. 6–7).

Demerit points	Offences listed by SPF	Light vehicle	Heavy vehicle
—	Stopping in a yellow box; insufficient warning signals; making an unauthorised U-turn; vehicles with a 60 km/h vehicular speed limit failing to keep left	$100	$150
3	Carrying excess pillion or pillion not sitting astride; rider failing to wear a helmet or wearing it insecurely; rider driving with a pillion who is not wearing a helmet securely; disobeying a traffic direction from a Police officer, Authority employee, or traffic-regulating security officer; unsecured load; exposed tyre ply or cord; driver failing to wear or ensure passengers wear seat belts; failing to secure a passenger below 1.35 m as required; parking abreast of another vehicle; parking within a pedestrian crossing; stopping in a zebra crossing area; parking in a Demerit Points No Parking Zone; stopping in a Demerit Points No Stopping Zone	$150	$200
3	Before carrying anyone on the floor of an open-deck goods vehicle, failing to fill every passenger seat in the driver’s cabin or in an additional cabin or enclosed space provided to carry passengers or goods	$500	—
4	Failing to give way to oncoming traffic at a controlled junction; failing to give way at an uncontrolled junction, junction, or roundabout; crossing double white lines or a road divider; obstructing traffic flow; forming up incorrectly when turning; failing to give way to emergency vehicles; driving dangerously while carrying a load; stopping on an expressway shoulder or verge; stopping or remaining at rest on an expressway carriageway	$150	$200
6	Failing to secure goods to a goods vehicle; offences at a pedestrian crossing; driving or riding against the sign-indicated flow; carrying passengers dangerously on a motor vehicle or trailer; reversing unnecessarily on an expressway; failing the 1.1 m height restriction for people on an open-deck goods vehicle; insufficient clear floor space for open-deck goods-vehicle passengers; careless driving endangering life; driving on an expressway shoulder; exceeding the vehicular or road speed limit by up to 20 km/h	$200	$250
8	Exceeding the vehicular or road speed limit by more than 20 km/h and up to 30 km/h	$300	$400
9	Carrying passengers on a goods vehicle dangerously; careless driving causing hurt	$300	$400
12	Exceeding the vehicular or road speed limit by more than 30 km/h and up to 40 km/h; failing to conform to traffic-light signals; using a mobile communication device while driving	$400	$500
18	Exceeding the vehicular or road speed limit by more than 40 km/h and up to 50 km/h	Prosecution in court	Prosecution in court
24	Exceeding the vehicular or road speed limit by more than 50 km/h and up to 60 km/h; exceeding it by more than 60 km/h; reckless or dangerous driving	Prosecution in court	Prosecution in court

SPF says specified offences at pedestrian crossings and offences that endanger pedestrian safety in School Zones, Silver Zones, or Friendly Streets attract 2 additional demerit points; their composition fine is increased by $100, subject to a total fine cap of $500 (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences). Under the current DIPS Rules, the zone-based add-on applies to offences in Schedule items (1)(a)–(e), (2)(a)–(e), (5), (7), (8), (9), (10), (12), (13), (18), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27), and (42) when committed or reasonably suspected within a defined zone. The Deputy Commissioner may award the additional points; where a zone is demarcated as more than one type, the total add-on must not exceed 2 points. The Rules define each zone by its prescribed start and end signs (Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, rr. 2, 3(1A)–(1C) and Schedule).

The helmet offences in the table are distinct: a rider who fails to wear an approved helmet securely, and a rider who drives with a pillion who is not wearing one securely, each incur 3 DIPS points under separate entries. The Act requires every motorcycle rider and pillion to wear securely on the head a helmet of a type approved by the Deputy Commissioner of Police; the rider must not carry a pillion who is not wearing one securely. A male Sikh wearing a turban is exempt from the rider/pillion helmet requirement in section 74(1) (Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 74; current Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Point System) Rules, Schedule, items 4 and 4A; Road Traffic (Helmet Exemption) Order 2005, para. 2).

For a two-wheeled motorcycle, no more than one person may ride in addition to the driver; that pillion must sit astride on a proper seat securely fixed behind the driver's seat. Carrying more people or carrying the pillion otherwise than in that position is an offence and attracts 3 DIPS points (Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 73; current Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Point System) Rules, Schedule, item 3).

See Motorcycle and pillion safety in Singapore for current helmet standards, fit and riding guidance.

Foreign-licence holders

The Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules also allow the Deputy Commissioner of Police to make a prohibition order against a holder of a foreign driving licence. The initial thresholds differ from the Singapore-licence suspension table above: 13 or more points within 12 months from the grant of the foreign licence can lead to a 12-month prohibition order; 24 or more points within 24 consecutive months can lead to an order of up to 36 months. After a prohibition order or qualifying court order, a later total of 12 or more points within 12 consecutive months can lead to a further order of up to 36 months. This is a prohibition from driving in Singapore, rather than a suspension or revocation of a Singapore driving licence (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, r. 7).

For foreign-licence holders, points are generally disregarded after 12 consecutive months without a scheduled offence; time while a prohibition or qualifying court order is in force is excluded. A point awarded later for an offence committed before that period can still count if, added to earlier points, it would make the holder liable to a prohibition order (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, r. 7(4)–(7)).

New or probationary licence holders

New licence holders are under a one-year probation from the issued date of their driving licence. During that period, the driving licence will be revoked and invalid if the new licence holder accumulates 13 or more demerit points (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems).

For a newly qualified Class 2B rider, SPF says a first failure to display the required probation plate incurs a fine; at least two such offences during the one-year probation period result in licence revocation (SPF, Riding Theory Booklet, “New Drivers”).

Non-probationary licence holders

Non-probationary licence holders become liable for suspension if they accumulate a threshold of demerit points within a stated period. If the suspension is 1 year or more, the driving licence will be revoked and invalid (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems).

Traffic Police publish this table:

Number of suspension	Threshold	Suspension duration	After successful DIPS retraining
1st	≥ 24 demerit points within 24 months	12 weeks	Reduced to 4 weeks (may be reduced to 1 week if offences are not accident-related)
2nd	≥ 12 demerit points within 12 months	24 weeks	Reduced to 12 weeks
3rd	≥ 12 demerit points within 12 months	1 year	—
4th	≥ 12 demerit points within 12 months	2 years	—
5th	≥ 12 demerit points within 12 months	3 years	—
6th	≥ 12 demerit points within 12 months	4 years	—
7th	≥ 12 demerit points within 12 months	5 years	—

(SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems)

The live SPF table gives a threshold of 12 or more points within 12 months for the second suspension but leaves the threshold cells blank for third and later suspensions. The handbook’s general summary for motorists with previous suspensions states the 12-point / 12-month threshold and groups the fifth and later suspensions together; the live page separately lists durations for the third through seventh suspensions. Because the current public page does not pair a specific threshold with each later tier, the table above follows the handbook’s generalized threshold as a summary, not as a separately stated live SPF threshold for every tier (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving handbook, pp. 5–6; SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems).

Announced changes for Singapore-licence holders from 1 January 2027

For Singapore-licence holders, SPF announced that probationary licence holders will have their licences revoked at 12 or more demerit points during their one-year probation, replacing the current 13-point threshold (SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

For non-probationary motorists, SPF announced a first-suspension threshold of 18 demerit points within 24 months, replacing the current 24-point threshold. The first suspension will be 4 months, replacing 12 weeks; successful DIPS retraining can reduce it to 6 weeks. The second suspension will be 6 months, and the third to seventh suspensions will each be 5 years under the revised table (SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

The announcement also provides for a one-time point deduction on 1 January 2027: up to 6 points for non-probationary motorists and up to 1 point for probationary motorists, from their balances as at 31 December 2026. If the balance is below the deduction amount, it is set to zero and the remaining deduction applies to offences committed before 1 January 2027, even if the notice is issued later; this does not apply to offences committed on or after that date. The composition sums for affected offences remain payable and are not changed by the point adjustment (SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

The announced changes also reduce the DIPS points for offences that currently carry 24 points to 18 points from 1 January 2027. SPF identifies these as exceeding the vehicular speed limit by more than 50 km/h, exceeding the road speed limit by more than 50 km/h, and reckless or dangerous driving. The current offence table above remains the current table until the announced changes take effect (SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

SPF describes the Safe Driving Course (SDC) as a 4-hour-20-minute, non-mandatory course for eligible motorists who have accumulated the specified points before liability for suspension or probationary revocation; successful completion removes four points after at least three working days. No new SDC offer letters are issued from 1 August 2026. Anyone who received an offer before then must complete the course by 31 December 2026; the course is discontinued from 1 January 2027. SPF also states that appeals for SDC placement will not be considered (SPF, Safe Driving Course). From 1 January 2027, the DIPS Retraining Course reduction will be available only for a first suspension, reducing it from four months to six weeks (SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

Notice and incentives

Licence holders are notified by letter of their demerit-points status after they settle every offence where demerit points are awarded (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems).

SPF directs licence holders to check driving-licence status and demerit points through its E-Services page. The directory lists “Check Driver Improvement Points” and “Check Class(es) and Validity of Driving Licence”; it also lists a separate service to submit an appeal against licence suspension or revocation (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems; SPF, E-Services).

SPF’s public DIPS page says previous points are removed after 12 months without any traffic offence, and its 2027 announcement says this incentive remains unchanged. The current Driver Improvement Points System Rules specify the legal calculation: points awarded before a 12-month period without a scheduled offence are disregarded, excluding time when the licence is suspended or the holder is court-disqualified. A later award for an offence committed before that period can still count if it would make the holder liable for suspension (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems; Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, r. 4(5)–(6); SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

SPF’s public DIPS page summarizes the suspension-record incentive as 24 months without any traffic offence from the date of the last suspension, and SPF says this incentive remains unchanged from 1 January 2027. Under rule 4(3), the repeat-suspension threshold does not apply if the holder commits no scheduled offence for 24 consecutive months after the date the licence became liable to suspension, the expiry of the suspension, or the expiry of a court disqualification, as applicable (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems; Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, r. 4(3); SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)).

Before a suspension or revocation decision, the Road Traffic Act provides a separate representation process. For a proposed suspension or revocation, the notice must state the reasons and allow at least 4 weeks for representations or objections; the Deputy Commissioner must consider any timely representations before deciding whether to suspend or revoke (Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 35B and 46). SPF also provides a separate online appeal service after a suspension or revocation. It says only appeals with extenuating reasons and supporting documentary proof will be reviewed, suspension and revocation appeals require separate submissions, and appeals against point reductions or court disqualification are not processed. The service page still contains older threshold and course advice that conflicts with current SPF guidance; its current 3-month processing estimate and appeal criteria are stated on the service page (SPF, Submit Appeal Against Driving Licence Suspension or Revocation).

A vehicle owner who holds a valid Singapore driving licence with a clean driving record for a continuous period of 3 years, and who has not made any claims on the vehicle’s insurance for the past 3 years, enjoys a discount over and above the no-claim bonus when renewing with participating insurers (SPF, Driver Improvement Point Systems).

The grouped offence table above follows SPF’s handbook and live penalties page. A separate vault article restates the scheduled DIPS offences from the Rules Schedule: DIPS points by offence.

Coverage debt

SPF’s published list is a summary of scheduled offences; it does not resolve the outcome or legal classification of a particular incident.
The Rules enumerate the qualifying Schedule items, but determining whether an incident falls within a scheduled offence and a legally demarcated zone depends on its facts and the offence record.
The announced DIPS changes take effect on 1 January 2027. Recheck commencement and SPF’s live tables before that date; the published Act 18 of 2026 leaves commencement to a date appointed by Gazette notification (Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, s. 1; SPF, Tightening of the Driver Improvement Points System).
The live SPF “Penalties for Traffic Offences” HTML composition table is recorded in Penalties for traffic offences; this article does not duplicate that full HTML table.